Gas lighter

ABSTRACT

In order to provide a gas lighter which, by causing a flame burning out from a flame hole to emerge as a wide and flat one, combusts a fuel gas while the flame wraps all around the leading end of a cigarette or cigar, the gas lighter includes at least a mixing conduit which mixes the fuel gas jetted out from a gas tank with air, a diffuser connected to the upper portion of the mixing conduit, a combustion cylinder which, being provided so as to surround the diffuser, causes the fuel gas to combust stably, and a windshield member which, being disposed above the combustion cylinder, is provided with a flame hole, wherein at least an opening in the upper portion of the combustion cylinder is formed in an elliptical shape, and the flame hole is formed in a slit shape.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gas lighter, and more particularly, to a gas lighter which is also caused to cope well with a lighting of a cigar thick in diameter, or the like, by changing the shape of a flame bursting out from a flame hole of a lighter main body to a wide and flat shape.

2. Prior Art

As a heretofore known gas lighter, one with the kind of configuration disclosed in, for example, JP-A-63-91431 is known. The gas lighter includes a gas tank filled with a fuel gas, a mixing conduit which mixes the fuel gas jetted out from the gas tank with air, a diffuser which reduces the flow rate of a mixed gas wherein the fuel gas and air are mixed by the mixing conduit, and diffuses the mixed gas, a combustion cylinder which further reduces the flow rate of, and diffuses, the mixed gas diffused by the diffuser, thus obtaining a mixed gas, wherein the fuel gas and air are mixed, with a flow. rate sufficient for an ignition and combustion, and an ignition unit which ignites the mixed gas in the combustion cylinder.

With the gas lighter of this kind of configuration, as the mixed gas jetted out as a jet flow is ignited and combusted into a burner flame in the combustion cylinder, there is an advantage in that the gas lighter can be used even in a strong wind.

However, with such a heretofore known gas lighter, as the mixed gas jetted out as the jet flow is combusted into the burner flame, the flame becomes strong, and there is a problem in that, for example, when a cigarette is lit, not only is the leading end lit, but also the cigarette is over burnt unevenly as far as one side surface too.

Also, when a cigar thick in diameter is lit, a flame of the kind of shape that wraps all around the leading end of the cigar is demanded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Consequently, the invention has an object of providing a gas lighter which, using the gas lighter in the heretofore known example, even though it is an internal combustion type gas lighter, combusts a fuel gas while a flame wraps all around the leading end of a cigarette or cigar.

A gas lighter according to one aspect of the invention for achieving the object includes at least a mixing conduit which mixes a fuel gas jetted out from a gas tank with air, a diffuser connected to the upper portion of the mixing conduit, a combustion cylinder which, being provided so as to surround the diffuser, causes the fuel gas to combust stably, and a windshield member which, being disposed above the combustion cylinder, is provided with a flame hole. A configuration is such that at least an opening in the upper portion of the combustion cylinder is formed in an elliptical shape, and the flame hole is formed in a slit shape.

Also, it is preferable that the combustion cylinder is formed in a flat shape as a whole.

According to the gas lighter of the invention, even though it is a lighter having a strong flame, such as an internal combustion type gas lighter, it is possible to cause a flame bursting out from the flame hole to emerge as a wide and flat one due to the synergetic combination of the opening of the combustion cylinder being formed in the elliptical shape, and the flame hole being formed in the horizontally long slit shape. Consequently, as the fuel gas is combusted while the flame wraps all around the leading end of a cigarette or cigar, it is possible to carry out a good lighting thereof.

As the flame hole is of the horizontally long slit shape, it is formed to be narrower in width than a heretofore known round flame hole, and consequently, a superior effect is achieved in that the flame is unlikely to suffer an effect of the wind from above either, and is difficult to blow out.

By the combustion cylinder being formed in the flat shape as a whole, a superior effect is achieved in that not only is the opening of the combustion cylinder formed in the elliptical shape, but also a lighter main body can be formed to be thin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a gas lighter according to one aspect of the invention as seen from the front;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gas lighter as seen from the right side;

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the gas lighter;

FIG. 4 is a left side view showing the gas lighter;

FIG. 5 is a back view showing the gas lighter;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the gas lighter;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a windshield member of the gas lighter;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a combustion cylinder of the gas lighter as seen from the front;

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the combustion cylinder of the gas lighter;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing the combustion cylinder of the gas lighter;

FIG. 11 is a front view showing an ignition condition of the gas lighter; and

FIG. 12 is a right side view showing the ignition condition of the gas lighter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Next, a description will be given, while referring to the drawings, of an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a gas lighter 11 according to the invention includes a main body casing 12, a windshield member 13 disposed on the top of the main body casing 12, an internal combustion mechanism 14 positioned below the windshield member 13, and a piezoelectric unit 15 provided for generating a high voltage and igniting a fuel gas.

The main body casing 12 is formed into a thin housing, and includes a cap portion 16 at the upper end thereof, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. The cap portion 16 is openable and closeable via hinges 16 a on the backside of the main body casing 12, as shown in FIG. 5, and the cap portion 16, when closed, covers the windshield member 13.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, a pair of elongated holes 17 extending in an up-down direction is formed on the front side of the main body casing 12, and an ignition operation portion 18 is attached so as to be movable up and down along the elongated holes 17.

The windshield member 13 is disposed above and in the vicinity of a combustion cylinder 19 to be described hereafter, and has a top portion 13 a, a front portion 13 b, two side portions 13 c and 13 c, and a back portion 13 d, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11. A horizontally long groove 13 e is formed in a central position of the top portion 13 a, and a horizontally long and slit-shaped flame hole 20 is formed in the central portion of the groove 13 e. To provide an example of the dimensions of the flame hole 20, it is desirable that the width is around 1 to 2 mm, and the length is around 7 to 9 mm.

The internal combustion mechanism 14, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a mixing conduit 21, a diffuser 22 connected to the upper portion of the mixing conduit 21, and the combustion cylinder 19, provided in such a way as to surround the diffuser 22, which causes the fuel gas to combust stably.

The mixing conduit 21 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape as a portion to mix the fuel gas jetted out from a gas tank 23 and air. The lower side of the mixing conduit 21 communicates with a gas jet nozzle 24 via a conductive tube 28.

The diffuser 22 is a portion that reduces the flow rate of the fuel gas and diffuses the fuel gas while further accelerating the mixing with air of the fuel gas flowing in from the mixing conduit 21.

The combustion cylinder 19 is made of a ceramic material, and its cylinder body is formed in a flat shape as a whole so that an opening 19 a in the upper portion is formed in an elliptical shape as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. Also, a hole 25 is formed in the lower portion thereof. The hole 25 is a portion in which the diffuser 22 is installed by inserting. A discharge terminal 32 for igniting the fuel gas flowing in from the diffuser 22 is mounted in the combustion cylinder 19.

The piezoelectric unit 15 has an outer box 15 a and inner box 15 b, which are telescopically fitted into each other, as shown in FIG. 1. An unshown piezoelectric element, a hammer, a return spring, and the like, are incorporated inside the inner box 15 b, and its mechanism is such that the piezoelectric element is hit by the hammer to generate a high voltage.

A conductive unit cap 15 d is mounted on the upper portion of the inner box 15 b, and a lower end 15 e of the unit cap 15 d is in abutment with one end of a valve operating lever 27 to be described hereafter.

Also, a conductive line 29 connected to one electrode 15 c of the piezoelectric unit 15 is extended upward, and the leading end thereof is connected to the discharge terminal 32.

An arm-like shaft 26 is mounted at the top of the unit cap 15 d. Retainers 18 a of the ignition operation portion 18 are in abutment with the shaft 26, and the shaft 26 moves up and down in conjunction with the up-down movement of the ignition operation portion 18. As a result of this, the inner box 15 b is moved up and down on the lower end side of the shaft 26 via the unit cap 15 d.

The valve operating lever 27 is disposed on a side of the outer box 15 a. The lower end 15 e of the unit cap 15 d is in abutment with the valve operating lever 27, as heretofore described, and consequently, the valve operating lever 27 moves up and down in conjunction with the up-down movement of the ignition operation portion 18. The other end of the valve operating lever 27, damping the neck of the gas jet nozzle 24, is mounted so as to be able to open and close its valve.

Reference numeral 33 in FIG. 1 indicates a locking device of the cap portion 16, reference numeral 34 a damper, and reference numeral 35 a spring.

With the gas lighter 11 configured in the way heretofore described, when the ignition operation portion 18 is operated by being pushed down, the shaft 26 is depressed in conjunction, as a result of which the unit cap 15 d is depressed. At the same time, the lower end 15 e of the unit cap 15 d depresses the valve operating lever 27, thus opening the valve of the gas jet nozzle 24. In this way, when the valve of the gas jet nozzle 24 is opened, the fuel gas is jetted out from the gas tank 23 via a valve mechanism 30, and flows into the combustion cylinder 19.

At approximately the same time as the fuel gas flows into the combustion cylinder 19, the shaft 26 depresses the inner box 15 b via the unit cap 15 d, and the piezoelectric element generates a high voltage, thus generating a discharge spark at the discharge terminal 32. The discharge spark causes the fuel gas flowing into the combustion cylinder 19 to be ignited into a burner flame.

At this time, a flame 31 bursting out from the flame hole 20 is formed as a wide and flat one (refer to FIGS. 11 and 12) due to the synergetic combination of the opening 19 a of the combustion cylinder 19 being formed in the elliptical shape, and the flame hole 20 in the windshield member 13 being formed in the horizontally long slit shape. As a result of this, it is possible to light the leading end of a cigarette or cigar while the flame wraps all around it.

Furthermore, as the flame hole 20 is of the horizontally long slit shape (refer to FIG. 7), it is formed to be narrower in width than the kind of round flame hole in a heretofore known internal combustion type gas lighter, and consequently, the flame is unlikely to suffer an effect of the wind from above either, and is difficult to blow out.

Also, as the combustion cylinder 19 is formed in the flat shape, there is an advantage in that not only is the opening 19 a of the combustion cylinder 19 formed in the elliptical shape, but also a lighter main body can be formed to be thin (refer to FIGS. 2 and 4). 

What is claimed is:
 1. A gas lighter comprising at least a mixing conduit which mixes a fuel gas jetted out from a gas tank with air; a diffuser connected to the upper portion of the mixing conduit; a combustion cylinder which, being provided so as to surround the diffuser, causes the fuel gas to combust stably; and a windshield member which, being disposed above the combustion cylinder, is provided with a flame hole, wherein at least an opening in the upper portion of the combustion cylinder is formed in an elliptical shape, and the flame hole is formed in a slit shape.
 2. The gas lighter according to claim 1, wherein the combustion cylinder is formed in a flat shape as a whole. 